Library: ECO 110/121/122: Elements of Economics; Macroeconomics; Microeconomics: Finding Data Online

Census and Economic Data Tools

Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Search for GDP, state and local economic numbers, foreign trade and investment stats and industry data.
Economic Indicators from Census
Key Macroeconomic Indicators.
Explore Census Data
One-stop searching for social, economic, housing and demographic characteristics of American places. This new site searches across data from the 2010 Census, 2007 Economic Census, Annual Survey of Manufacturers and the Business Pattern Surveys among others.
Federal Reserve Economic Database (FRED)
The Federal Reserve Economic Database (FRED) offers over 294,000 economic time series from 81 sources. Users may download data in Microsoft Excel and text formats and view charts of data series.
NAICS
Find the NAICS code for your business - you may need to try a couple of different searches. Use this code to find industry information from the sites below. You can use this code in the American FactFinder.
National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Search 1,200+ working papers from The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), including investigation and analysis of major economic issues.
New Residential Construction (macroeconomic indicator)
Features national and regional data on the number of new housing units authorized by building permits; authorized, but not started; started; under construction; and completed.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Search United States labor statistics by subject, publication or keyword.
U.S. International Trade Data
Use this to compare the top trading partners of the United States, from month to month.

Tips for using Explore Census Data

Use the subjects boxes to narrow your search results.
Keep searches simple to start. Try starting with business, then pick either a table, map or page to find information about business in the U.S.
"Subjects" include broad categories such as population, education and economics.

Additional Sources

CIA World Fact Book
Information about the nations of the world. Compare two or more nations.
Consumer Expenditure for Philadelphia metro 2012-13
General characteristics of consumer spending in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, 2012-2013.
Economic Indicators
Data sources frequently used by the Department of Commerce.
Prices and Wages by Decade
This guide points to consumer prices and wages reported in primary sources for each decade back to the 1700s.
USA Economy at a Glance
National and State level economic indicators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Includes Unemployment rate, Consumer Price Index and Average Hourly Earnings.
The World Bank
A source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world, the world bank is not a bank in the traditional sense, but instead a partnership dedicated to reducing poverty and supporting development.
World Trade Organization
"The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business."